The present invention relates to a retainer for surgical sutures and more particularly to a multiple panel retainer for securely holding surgical sutures.
Packages for surgical sutures are constructed according to the nature of the suture and its intended use. The packages are designed taking into consideration the economics of the package and the method of placing the sutures in the package. In general , the ideal package protects the suture during handling and storage yet allows the suture to be removed with the minimum of difficulty and the package itself should be economical to produce.
The more popular suture packages consist of a folded paper retainer with a suture therein and with the retainer contained in a sterile hermetically sealed envelope. In many instances, the sterility of the suture in the envelope is maintained by a second sealed outer wrap. When the suture is to be used, the outer wrap is opened in the operating room and the sealed envelope deposited in the sterile area. Sterile personnel thereupon tear open the sterile envelope to gain access to the suture.
Many packages have been developed to provide: easy access to the sutures, simplified winding of the suture, dispensing of a single suture from a package containing multiple sutures, and the like. Representative packages are more fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,936,696, 3,280,971, 3,490,192, 4,089,409, 4,126,221, 4,253,563, 4,249,656, 4,491,218, 4,483,437, 4,413,727, 4,412,614, 3,985,227, and 4,120,395.
As mentioned above, packages for surgical sutures are often constructed according to the nature of the suture being packaged. For example, if the suture is made from material that is heat sensitive it is important the package totally enclose the suture to protect it from heat during the sterilization or storage of the suture. If the suture is made from a monofilament material; i.e., a material which tends to take a set in a configuration which is held for any period of time, the package should be designed to take that property into consideration. Also, suture packages should be designed for efficiency in use; i.e., when the nurse is opening a suture package in the surgical environment, the nurse should have control of the opening of the package and the package should not open prematurely of unwarrantedly. It is desirable that the package be easily opened and in many instances opened using one hand, i.e. the package held in the hand and readily opened by a finger because the other hand of the person who desires to open the package may be occupied.
The present invention presents a very simple suture package. The package is inexpensive to produce and the method for placing sutures in the package and folding the package are simple and economical. The package totally encloses the suture and may be used with heat sensitive suture materials. It is an object of the present invention to produce a package that can hold monofilament sutures in as gentle curves as possible to avoid undue set of the suture. A further object of the present invention is to provide a suture package that is securely locked and will not open inadvertently. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a suture package which the user may readily open utilizing only one hand. These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and claims.